If you’re looking for a purpose and not just a job, join the Smoothie King team and turn your purpose into a fulfilling passion!
We're not just the pioneers of the nutritional smoothie; we're the champions of inspiring people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. With over 1300 stores and counting, we’ve grown to become the largest nutritional smoothie bar in the nation, with a simple recipe for success: Hire the best people, use the best ingredients, and blend with a purpose.
At Smoothie King, we're serious about our clean ingredients and passionate about our guests' health and wellness journeys—but that doesn't mean we don't know how to have a good time. Here, you'll find work that's equal parts challenging and rewarding, all within a culture that's as amazing as our smoothies. We're committed to continuous improvement, achieving our goals, and fostering a supportive and collaborative environment where every team member can thrive.
General Overview:
The People Services Manager – Operations serves as the primary People Services partner to Operations Corporate and Field Operations. This role is responsible for embedding a people-first operating mindset into day-to-day store and field leadership practices while supporting strong execution, accountability, and business performance.
This position works closely with operations leaders to translate business strategy, operational goals, and performance data into practical people solutions. The People Services Manager provides hands-on coaching, fast and effective learning approaches, and data-informed guidance to help leaders build strong teams, improve retention, and operate their stores and regions at a high level.
The role requires strong business acumen, comfort using and interpreting operational and people data, and the ability to influence leaders who are results-driven and action-oriented.
Essential Functions:
Operations & Field Leadership Partnership
- Serve as the primary People Services partner for Operations Corporate and Field Operations leaders.
- Conduct regular (monthly or as needed) people and talent reviews with operations leaders focused on team health, leadership effectiveness, retention, readiness, and performance outcomes.
- Act as a trusted advisor to leaders by providing direct, practical guidance aligned to operational realities and business priorities.
- Support leaders during periods of change, performance challenges, growth, and restructuring with a calm, solutions-oriented approach.
People-First Leadership & Capability Building
- Train and coach leaders to lead their teams using a people-first, accountability-driven approach that balances care for team members with operational excellence.
- Design and deliver fast, practical learning solutions tailored to field leaders and Gen X-heavy teams (e.g., short form training, playbooks, toolkits, and just-in-time coaching).
- Partner with Operations to reinforce consistent leadership expectations, behaviors, and standards across corporate operations and stores.
- Support leadership development at the General Manager, Area Manager, and Regional Area Director levels through coaching and targeted development plans.
Employee Relations & Performance Management
- Manage and resolve complex team member relations issues, including conducting thorough, objective, and timely investigations.
- Provide day-to-day performance management support (coaching, counseling, corrective action, and career development) aligned with brand standards and operational goals.
- Work closely with leaders to improve working relationships, build engagement and morale, and drive retention, especially in frontline and store-level roles.
- Ensure consistent, fair, and legally compliant application of policies and practices across the field.
Data, Analytics & Strategic Insight
- Analyze people and operational data (turnover, engagement, performance trends, training effectiveness, and workforce metrics) to inform decisions and identify opportunities.
- Partner with People Services and Operations to use data insights to proactively address talent risks, leadership gaps, and retention challenges.
- Support workforce planning, succession planning, and readiness planning for key field roles.
PS Operations & Compliance
- Maintain strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations; proactively reduce risk and ensure compliance.
- Partner with Legal and senior leadership as needed on sensitive or complex issues.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for operations leaders on People Services policies, practices, and interpretation.
- Maintain accurate employee data through HRIS administration, audits, updates, and timely resolution of inquiries.
Talent Acquisition & Development
- Lead or support full-cycle recruiting efforts for assigned roles, with a focus on operational leadership and high-impact field positions.
- Partner with hiring leaders to identify talent needs, assess candidates effectively, and make strong, values-aligned hiring decisions.
- Assist with evaluation and implementation of tools, programs, and processes that support performance management, leadership development, and retention within operations.
Culture & Communication
- Actively model and promote the culture, values, and mission of the brand in all interactions.
- Lead by example in cultivating respectful, inclusive, and engaged team member experience.
- Support internal communications related to people initiatives, leader updates, and system-wide messaging as needed.
- Participate in and support culture-building activities, corporate events, and wellness initiatives.
Major Responsibilities / Specific Requirements:
- Partners effectively with Operations Corporate and Field leaders, working cross-functionally to achieve shared people and business goals.
- Builds trust and credibility through honest, respectful communication and sound judgment in complex and sensitive situations.
- Coaches leaders to deliver clear expectations, meaningful feedback, and people-first accountability aligned to brand standards.
- Demonstrates strong operational and business acumen with the ability to translate people strategies into practical, field-ready solutions.
- Uses people and operational data to identify trends, prioritize work, and guide decision-making.
- Thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment and adapts quickly to changing operational priorities.
- Continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes, tools, and leadership effectiveness across field operations.
- Models integrity, consistency, and confidentiality in all interactions with leaders and team members.
- Actively develops self and others, strengthening leadership capability and bench strength within operations.
- Promotes the culture, values, and mission of Smoothie King.
Education and Experience Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (or commensurate experience).
- Minimum of five (5) years of progressive HR experience within the food and beverage industry, required.
- HR certification such as SHRM-CP, PHR, or equivalent preferred.
- Experience with ADP Workforce Now or similar HRIS platforms is required.
- Personal passion for health and fitness is a plus.
Travel Required:
- Travel approximately 10% - 15%, including occasional extended workdays (10–12 hours) as business needs dictate.
- Ability to travel by air and drive for extended periods is required.
- In-state and out-of-state travel may be necessary on a periodic basis.
What We Offer:
Join our team and enjoy an unusually fun work environment with an upbeat atmosphere and great team members. It is our purpose to maintain an environment our team members can brag about, where our focus and belief are built on our core values: We Are Better Together, We Keep Evolving, We Live Our Mission, We Do the Right Thing, and We Focus and Finish. With our core values at the forefront of every decision we make, it allows for collaboration, passion, and a no-limits mindset when it comes to your future! We keep our team happy with our great benefits package, free smoothies, flexible work schedules, office lunches and parties, monthly fitness challenges, free gym access, and more fun activities to make Smoothie King a happy and healthy place to work.
Our Mission
Inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
Our Vision
We make the world a better place by nourishing healthy habits.
At Smoothie King, when we say inspire people, we mean everyone. We champion a diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of the guests we serve. We blend the unique members of our organization, celebrating what is both common and different to grow better together and Rule the Day. The foundation of our diversity efforts is closely tied to our core values, which includes “We Are Better Together” and “We Do the Right Thing”. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, or medical condition or disability. If you are a person with a disability and you need assistance in applying for a position with Smoothie King, please call our People Services Department at 214-935-8900 and direct assistance will be provided.